peach pit – that lemon life

Hola everyone.

How are you all doing today? All enjoying the beautiful weather we’ve been blessed with the past days? Because I definitely have. Actually, I’ve caught myself thinking I’m already on my summer break more than once, which just shows how 1. long I’ve been at home already and 2. how good the weather has been. And I’m not sure whether I like that or not, because, you know, climate change and all that. I guess all of us staying at home is probably the best thing that could’ve happened to the environment right now. I hope once this virus crisis is finally over, everyone’s going to try and fight climate change just as aggressively as we’re all currently fighting this asshat Corona. Our beautiful planet deserves it.

I know, I just made a huge detour and got completely off-topic. I haven’t even presented today’s post and what it’s going to be all about yet. But I guess you all saw the title of the post, so here’s the probably weirdest way of announcing another fantastic edition of “New Music Friday”. In a nutshell, all of these songs have been with me during this hell of a crazy time and have kept me on the bright side of things. They’ve pulled me up when I was feeling down on another “what festival got canceled today”-day. They put a smile on my face when it seemed like everything was going more than wrong. And they gave a normal, plain day that little extra to become a highlight. So I’m more than excited to share all of these with you. I hope you love them just as much as me. Please enjoy.

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OK – Wallows

Well, who would’ve thought I’d ever get this addicted to this band and get to call them one of my favourite bands right now? Definitely not me when I first heard ‘Pictures Of Girls’ two years ago. But here I am now, deep down in an intense obsession with Wallow’s newest track called ‘OK’, which couldn’t be any more perfect to listen to while the world outside is literally getting turned on its head – which has basically been happening the past two months. So, in a nutshell, it’s definitely the most perfect song for quarantine and if you haven’t listened to it yet, you should definitely check it out ASAP. Also, Dylan’s blue hair looks amazing and I’m kinda jealous that he can actually pull it off.

Feels So Nice – The Wrecks

I mean, I’ve already dedicated a whole post to the new album of this super amazing indie-rock group from the US, but here we are again because sharing The Wrecks’ new stuff with you all once just isn’t enough (see the first post here). ‘Feels So Nice’ right here has been an absolute favourite of mine ever since it got released and so far I haven’t been able to get it out of my head, so here you have it too, so we’re all in this boat together. Please give it a listen, it’s phenomenal.

Level Of Concern – Twenty One Pilots

I think you and me both know that I don’t really have to introduce this band nor to explain why their newest hit ‘Level of Concern’ is part of this list (see the original post about the song right here). My boys went and created the number one song for quarantine and nobody can tell me otherwise. Also, Ro is in the video, so it can’t really be beaten by any other music video out there. And, because I only just heard the news today – huge congrats to Josh and Debby for getting married when we all knew they did. I’m honestly super happy for them. If you give the video a shot, try to spot Josh’s ring. Another huge giveaway.

The Key to Life on Earth – Declan McKenna

I’m going to be honest, whenever I put this song on at home, my parents look at me as if I had just started to play some cringy Austrian folk music or something on that level of crappy. And, to be real, I still don’t get how they’re not overly in love with this song. Declan has always been an important part of my ‘favourite songs’-playlist and I’m super happy to share this new record with all of you. Not only because the track is more than great, but also because the video can only be described as art in itself – I mean, just look at it. Go on.

Black Licorice – Peach Pit

Do you know those days when you just feel like everything’s going all wrong and you’re just not meant to be in a certain place? Moments when you feel like you’re not really wanted or needed? A bit like black licorice? Well, if yes, then this song right here is perfect for you, because it’s about those exact moments, but instead of pulling you down, it’s a beautiful piece of music that can be enjoyed not just when you feel a bit down, but also when you feel like anything but black licorice. That’s how magnificent the song is right here. I applaud you, Peach Pit.

Is Everybody Going Crazy? – Nothing But Thieves

I’m not going to lie, I couldn’t describe the past two months in any better words than the title of this song does even if I wanted to. Because that’s just how it’s been and somehow Nothing But Thieves managed to write a song way way way before the actual crisis which couldn’t fit it any better. Imagine that? You write a song a year before an event that makes it seem like you just wrote that same song for that exact moment. And then on top of that, the song turns out to be freaking awesome. How cool is that?

I Don’t Think I Can Do This Again – Mura Masa ft. Clairo

I think every good music playlist needs a nice EDM-ish song in the midst of it, so here is mine for this month. This time, happily presented to you by the amazing Mura Masa featuring Clairo. To cut it short, the track is incredibly fun to listen to and always manages to pull me up and get me hyped whenever I need it the most and I hope it does the same for you.

Cinnamon – Hayley Williams

Last but certainly not least, here’s is once again my favourite female singer, the one and only Hayley Williams with my favourite song of her recently released solo album ‘Petals for Armor’. This song is literally the coolest womanhood anthem I’ve ever heard and it makes me feel at peace with myself and connected to my feminity in such a cool way that my appreciation for this track hasn’t found its end yet. Also, the music video for it is absolutely baffling and I still have a lot of questions. Well freaking done, Hayley.

And there it is, guys, this is it for this month’s ‘New Music Friday’. I hope you enjoyed/enjoy listening to the songs as much as I enjoy sharing them with you. I’d really love to hear your opinions and thoughts, so please don’t hesitate to leave them down below in the comment section. And until then, I wish you all a super lovely weekend, hope you’re doing well and, as always, thanks for reading. x

Hola everyone.

And welcome back to my blog and another Friday – not really a New Music Friday, but something more exciting than that. Here in Austria, I can slowly start to see the finish line of our quarantine and maybe it’s because of that or maybe because I’m sitting outside, enjoying the glistening sunshine and some fantastic music playing the background, but I’m feeling a lot better than I was a few days ago. I’m already imagining how we’ll talk about this crap of a spring in a few years. The time we couldn’t go outside anymore and hugs were illegal. Crazy times.

But speaking of fantastic music – today’s a very good day for music. Specifically for the phenomenal indie band Peach Pit, who just released their new album today – it’s a banger – and who I got to interview a few days ago. And I couldn’t be any more excited to share the finished article with you guys. Please enjoy. And please go and give the guys a listen. They’re honestly so good. And the album is literally the perfect addition to any playlist. And we’re all in need of some great music right now, aren’t we?

‘Sadboy Guitar Bangerz with too many soloz’

It’s safe to say that 2020 has already been one hell of a year, and while that’s not necessarily a positive sentiment for a lot of people, for the members of Vancouver-based band Peach Pit, it’s been an unforgettable year for all the right reasons, with their newest album “You and Your Friends” just having been released. Intense, fun and with the warm breeze of a day at the beach, the album makes a perfect addition to any quarantine playlist. And it’s true – Peach Pit is the type of band whose music is always, and without fail, good, with their second full-length effort being no exception. To celebrate their special release, I got to chat with lead vocalist Neil Smith about the early beginnings of his band, the importance of teeth and their plans for when we all finally get to leave our rooms again.

Let’s start right at the beginning – how did this band start off?

Well, our guitarist Chris and I met in high school, but him and our bassist Peter actually go all the way back to kindergarten. The four of us didn’t really become friends though until we were in our early twenties. That’s when we all connected and actually became good pals.

Did you think you’d end up where you are now back then?

We were always hopeful, which is how you have to be when you start out trying to make music. But no, it’s hard to believe how far we’ve come since playing in Chris’ dad’s basement 5 years ago.

What do you enjoy most about being a band? What do you dislike most?

Getting to tour all over the world and have fans in every city wanting to see you play is very surreal. That’s probably my favourite. And my least favourite is being stuck in the van with Mikey when he starts to feel cooped up. He goes crazy sometimes and just starts playing his drum machine super loudly to annoy us. It sucks!

Looking back on your career so far – what is your favourite memory?

Probably playing our last big hometown show in Vancouver. It was on Halloween and at a big theatre that has always been on our bucket list to play. All of our family and friends were there and we dressed up in full KISS costumes. It was sick pretending to be Gene Simmons for a night.

How would you describe your band to someone who didn’t know you?

Sadboy Guitar Bangerz with too many soloz!

I read you like to describe your sound as “chewed bubblegum pop” – could you explain the meaning behind that?

We only said that because people always ask what kind of music we play, and because Indie music steals from rock and pop and more down tempo stuff it can be hard to pick which “genre” you belong to.

What was the process of producing and creating your new album like?

The writing portion was pretty challenging, we all spent a lot of time in our rehearsal space and I spent a ton of time at home alone trying to write songs last year. The recording of the record was the best though. We got to work with John Congelton and we hit it off immediately with him. He’s one of the funniest and most fun guys to have to hang around for weeks on end. I hope we can record another album with him in the future.

Do you follow a certain formula when you write your songs or is the process different every time?

Yes. Usually I come up with either the song title or the first line of the song and write it down in my notebook. Then I try and come up with a chord progression that I like and add a melody and lyrics to it. Once the song is done being written, then I bring it to band practice and the guys and I mess around with it until we’re happy with all the parts and the arrangement. The song generally changes a lot from when it’s just me at home to the full band playing it.

Why are teeth so central in your new album?

Because their highly underrated, how hard would eating be without them!

What is your favourite track of the album and why?

My favourite has changed a lot since we finished recording the album. But right now, it’s probably a two-way tie between Brian’s Movie and Your Teeth. With Brian’s Movie, I really like that Chris is playing a 12-string guitar with a slide (he’s never done that before) and Your Teeth I just really love the melody, it’s kind of creepy but also sad and pretty.

What has been your most enjoyable song to write so far and why? What’s your favourite song to play?

Shampoo bottles was written really fast, like in two days which is way shorter than normal. I love when a song just falls out of you super easy. And my favourite to play would be Brian’s Movie, I just can’t get enough of that 12 string.

How do you try to stand out of the crowd?

We just try to be ourselves as much as possible. I think people can sense when you’re being fake so you might as well avoid trying to be something that you are not. This would be my strongest piece of advice to any young bands starting out.

What are your plans for the future, after all of this is finally over?

Well once all this shit dies down we’ll be able to get our touring schedule back on track. We were so excited for this spring but unfortunately staying at home is the most important thing we can do right now. So, in the meantime we’ll just be on Instagram live as much as possible. Please tune in.

What does music mean to you?

It means everything to me. Besides my family and friends, it’s the most important thing. Not only is it our livelihood but it’s just our favourite way to spend our time. Being able to pick up a guitar and entertain myself while being stuck inside has been a huge blessing.

Peach Pit’s latest album “You and Your Friends” is now available in stores and on all download and streaming platforms.

And there you go, guys. I hope you enjoyed the interview. Please do go and give Peach Pit and their new album a listen – it’s uber fantastic, it truly is. And just so much fun to listen to. And besides that, I hope you’re all doing good and not going too insane at home and wish you all a lovely weekend. And, as always, thanks for reading. x